Away day guide to Crawley Town’s opening fixtures of the season

Cumberland sausages, high teas and a trip to the birthplace of the cooperative movement awaits travelling Crawley Town fans as the League 2 season gets off to an early start this year.

The winter World Cup in Qatar has resulted in all fixtures being brought forward by a week, giving way to what could be a run of sunny trips across the country.

The Red Devils kick off the season with a gruelling 700-mile round-trip to Carlisle United at Brunton Park on 30th July.

Research ahead of last season found that Crawley Town fans are among the most travelled in the Football League, racking up an eye-watering 6,780 miles in total.

Only Plymouth Argyle (9,925), Exeter City (8,172), Sunderland (7,989), Newcastle United (7,229), Hartlepool United (7,229), Middlesbrough (6,855) and Portsmouth (6,855) travel further.

Two further trips up north to Harrogate and Rochdale follow Town’s opener at Carlisle United.

A food and drink guide to the Football League

Speaking to Crawley Observer ahead of the season’s opening games, Jack Peat, author of The Great Pie Revolt: A Gastronomic Guide to the Football League, is urging fans to think differently about this season’s away fixtures.

Rather than heading to the usual food and drink spots within the vicinity of the stadium, Peat says fans should indulge in the rich variety of cafes, pubs and microbreweries that are often just a short walk away.

“There has never been a better time for travelling fans to experience the rich tapestry of local food and drink spots across the Football League,” he tells the Observer.

“Those making the trip to see Town away can enjoy a feast of brilliant places before and after the game, adding to the overall enjoyment of their day out.”

Explaining how the inspiration for the book came following an away day in Southend at the start of the 2018/19 season, Peat said:

“I almost missed the game because I was having so much fun eating local seafood and drinking local beer in beer garden nearby.

“It was at that point I realised that away days can be about so much more than the football.

“Every club in the Football League has its own culinary identity, so you can kill two birds with one stone if you are minded to seek them out.”

Peat has compiled a full run-down of Crawley Town’s opening fixtures using extracts from his book, which is available in Waterstones now.

It all kicks off with a trip to Carlisle and an interesting fact about Cumberland sausages.

Carlisle United

When do Crawley Town play Carlisle United?

Crawly Town and Carlisle United will meet at Brunton Park on 30th July.

What is the club’s culinary connection?

There can only be one thing on any weary traveller’s mind as they cross the border into Cumbria and thoughts turn to food. Enchantingly long, coiled and subtly seasoned the Cumberland sausage sits alongside Stilton cheese, Cornish clotted cream and Melton Mowbray pork pies as one of the few British foods to have Protected Geographical Indication status. Brought to the region by German miners in the 16th century, it has a distinctly international feel, with exotic spices such as black pepper, nutmeg, marjoram and sage incorporated early thanks to the dynamic port at Whitehaven.

To display the PGI mark, the sausages still have to retain these characteristics, being prepared, processed and produced in Cumbria and containing meat content of at least 80 per cent. Sausages not meeting these criteria can still be sold as Cumberland sausages but can often have meat content as low as 45 per cent and use emulsified rather than coarse-cut meat, so make sure to look for the PGI badge!

Where are the best places to drink?

The Kings Head, 31 Fisher St, CA3 8RF

It is said that ale has been served on The Kings Head’s site as early as the 10th century, which is not beyond the realms of doubt given its historical look. Exposed brick, wooden beams and well-kept ales can be found in a pub packed with charm.

Where are the best places to eat?

Thin White Duke, 1 Devonshire St, CA3 8LG

Tackle a locally-sourced Cumberland sausage with mash, crispy onions and onion gravy in a converted monastery building in the heart of Carlisle. The Thin White Duke, a nod to music legend David Bowie, is a trendy eatery and bar offering a diverse range of fresh seasonal dishes and good beers.

Harrogate Town

When do Crawley Town play Harrogate Town?

Crawley Town and Harrogate Town will meet at Wetherby Road on 13th August.

What is the club’s culinary connection?

There are two things in Britain that, over the years, have become synonymous with 3 O’clock; Football matches and afternoon teas, and although similarities between the two are hard to come by, they actually exist to serve similar purposes. The former, you see, was initially a church construct brought in to keep people out of the pubs when the Factory Act of 1850 dictated that workers were not to work any later than 2pm on a Saturday, while the latter was brought about in 1870 by Anna Maria Russell, 7th Duchess of Bedford, to fill the long gap between luncheon dinner that left her feeling peckish mid-afternoon.

So while one was brought in to stave off thirstiness, the other was created to stave off hunger - not that you will want to do either on a trip to Harrogate, widely considered to be the capital of high tea in one of Yorkshire’s five spa towns.

Where are the best places to drink?

The Little Ale House, 7 Cheltenham Cres, HG1 1DH

Set up by husband and wife team, Rich and Danni, in an effort to recreate a rustic country pub atmosphere in Harrogate town centre, the Little Ale House is a homespun haven of real ale, pork pies and cosiness. Kegs are stacked behind a glass screen while there’s a well constructed little gin shelf with handmade and local spirits.

Where are the best places to eat?

Yorkshire Tapas, 4 Montpellier Parade, HG1 2TJ

Visit the guys who eat Yorkshire, sleep Yorkshire, cut them open and they bleed gravy types at their famous Yorkshire Tapas restaurant on Montpellier Parade. Their modern twist on grazing-style dishes includes Yorkshire wraps, Bradford curry-house masala and a to die for Yorkshire blue cheese fondue served with a bucket of bakery bread.

Rochdale

When do Crawley Town play Rochdale?

Crawley Town and Rochdale will meet at the Crown Oil Arena on 27th August.

What is the club’s culinary connection?

Capitalism has given rise to skyscrapers in America, sprawling desert metropolises in the Middle East and sushi on conveyor belts in Asia, but it first trembled on the cobbled stone streets of Rochdale when the Society of Equitable Pioneers was born in 1844. As the mechanisation of the Industrial Revolution put more people out of work and increased the rate of poverty, a group of tradesmen decided to band together to open a store selling food items many people couldn’t otherwise afford.

They designed the now famous Rochdale Principles, which provided the basis of the modern cooperative movement, opening a store with essentials such as butter, oatmeal and candles before expanding their selection to include tea and tobacco. They were soon known for providing high quality, unadulterated goods, uncommon at a time when many other traders used to sell flour with chalk mixed in or tea bulked out with hedge clippings. Today you can visit the Rochdale Pioneers Museum to learn more about its origins, with a rather delightful pub annexed on its side.

Where are the best places to drink?

The Baum, 33-37 Toad Ln, OL12 0NU

Located on the old cobblestoned streets of Rochdale’s heritage area next door to the Pioneers Museum is The Baum, a pub befitting its historical setting. Old marketing boards for Fry’s Chocolate and Irlam’s Tripe adorn the building’s front with a wood-panelled interior showcasing several other exciting artefacts inside. Expect beers from Vocation, Track and the local Pictish Brewery on tap.

Where are the best places to eat?

The Medicine Tap, 2 The Esplanade, OL16 1AQ

Coffee house, cook house, bar and beer house rolled into one, The Medicine Tap is a dream first stop on any away day. Ribble Valley sausages, black pudding, hash browns and a toasted bloomer make up their Mighty Full Tap Breakfast and can also be served in a flatbread or bap if you prefer. But if you go for the breakfast, stay for the real ale selection - a few pre-game tonics here are a must.

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